Linksys WRT54GR 2.4 GHz router review, is it worth it?

The Linksys WRT54GR (WRT54GR) router released in 2005. It is powered by RDC R3211-G chipset, 16 MB of RAM and 4 MB of flash. The G54 router is compatible with IEEE 802.11b/g standards, and the maximum speed that you can get with WRT54GR is 54 Mbps. The router has 1 x 10/100 Mbps WAN and 4 x 10/100 Mbps LAN ports.

This router is a basic, 2.4 GHz wireless router that provides reliable connectivity for small networks. Linksys is a well-established brand and has a significant market presence globally.

Table of contents:

• Linksys WRT54GR specifications
• Linksys WRT54GR pictures

Linksys WRT54GR (WRT54GR) specifications

Body

If you have limited space available for your router, such as in a small apartment or office, the dimensions can determine whether it can fit in the designated area or not. It's important to consider the physical size of the router, including its height, width, and depth, to ensure it can be accommodated in your space. The weight of a router can be a consideration in certain situations, but it is generally not as crucial as other factors such as performance, features, and compatibility.

System

The RDC R3211-G CPU, combined with other factors such as RAM capacity and firmware optimization, determines the overall performance and responsiveness of the router. The WRT54GR comes with 16 MB of RAM. The amount of RAM in a router can impact its performance and capacity to handle concurrent operations and traffic. Higher RAM capacity allows for better multitasking, larger routing tables, and improved overall performance.

The 4 MB flash memory in the router serves as the storage medium for the router's firmware. It is a non-volatile memory that retains its data even when power is removed from the device. The Linksys often releases firmware updates to enhance the router's functionality, improve security, fix bugs, and add new features. Firmware updates can provide performance improvements, compatibility with new devices or protocols, and address vulnerabilities. The Linksys provides the appropriate power supply (12 V / 0.5 A) that matches the voltage requirements of the router. The power supply unit is designed to deliver the correct voltage to the router, ensuring its proper operation.

Network

Like many modern routers, the WRT54GR supports many network standards too. The majority of networking equipment, including routers, switches, and other network devices, is designed to support IPv4. The WRT54GR has 4 x 10/100 Mbps LAN and 1 x 10/100 Mbps WAN ports. The LAN ports of WRT54GR router are numbered and are used to establish wired connections between the router and devices such as computers, gaming consoles, smart TVs, network-attached storage (NAS) devices, and other network-enabled devices.

The WAN port on a router stands for "Wide Area Network" port. It is used to connect the router to the external network, typically provided by an internet service provider (ISP). If you have a high-speed internet plan with speeds exceeding 100 Mbps, you may experience a bottleneck in wired connections due to the limitation of the Fast Ethernet ports on the WRT54GR router.

Wireless

This router has 2 x 2 dBi, RP-SMA antennas. Many modern routers feature multiple antennas and use Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) technology. This technology enables simultaneous transmission and reception of multiple data streams, increasing overall throughput and improving the Wi-Fi performance. The WRT54GR is compatible with 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi. Many IoT (Internet of Things) devices, smart home devices, and older Wi-Fi-enabled devices primarily operate on the 2.4 GHz band.

The 802.11g is a Wi-Fi standard that was introduced in 2003 as an improvement over the earlier 802.11b standard. It operates in the 2.4 GHz frequency band, like 802.11b, but offers faster speeds and improved performance. The G54 refers to the maximum combined data transfer rate supported by the router across all Wi-Fi bands. The WRT54GR is capable of a maximum throughput speed of 54 Mbps. The real-world speed of a WRT54GR router is typically lower than its theoretical maximum speed.

The maximum TX power of WRT54GR router is 17 dBm. Adjusting the TX power of a router can be useful in situations where you want to optimize the Wi-Fi signal strength and coverage. The WRT54GR router offers several security protocols: WEP, WPA. The WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) was the first security protocol for Wi-Fi networks but is now considered weak and easily compromised. It uses a static encryption key and has known vulnerabilities, so it is no longer recommended for securing Wi-Fi networks.

Connectivity

The WRT54GR router doesn't have file-server or print-server functionality.

Administration

The Linksys router setup panel is accessed through a web browser. Connect your computer to the WRT54GR router via Wi-Fi or Ethernet cable. In the address bar of the web browser, type in the 192.168.1.1 IP address. If you are unable to log in to the setup panel of your Linksys router, performing a reset can be a helpful troubleshooting step. It is highly recommended to change the default password of your WRT54GR router after the initial setup. If you forget the new password in the future, you may need to perform a factory reset on the router to revert to the default settings.

The specifications above are based on the official data published by the manufacturer, but we also take user reviews into consideration. If you found an error or something lacking in the specifications above for the Linksys WRT54GR, then don’t hesite and signal the problem to us.

Linksys WRT54GR (WRT54GR) pictures

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